Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Large

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

This week's topic

Any large families in the family tree? Any stories of the challenges or benefits of being in a large family? Or perhaps "Large" is an ancestral surname?

Hmm where to start with large... I guess the best way to start this one is the meaning of large.

• of considerable or relatively great size, extent, or capacity.
• of wide range or scope. synonyms: wide-reaching, far-reaching, wide-ranging, wide, sweeping, large-scale, broad, extensive, comprehensive, exhaustive, wholesale
• unrestrained in the use of language; gross; improper; behavior or manner; uninhibited.

Credit for the above definitions.

Once again this topic stumps me in how to apply it to my family. We had areas of these but nothing proven really.

For instance, my grandmother's side of the family, the women were known to be of a large size, but now its getting to be the normal size of American women. However, that's an opinion I've heard (as my body size has followed this area) but its not politically correct even now to talk about these things.

Then, you have the third area above about the use of language and improper behavior or manner. Hmm depends on what you grew up with again its suggestive. For instance, my mother was always swearing among other things. However, its not proper language nor proper behavior or manners. I didn't realize this until it was pointed out to me when I was in college. Then I started to realize there's a when and a place to swear. Again, its keeping the politically correct and business behaviors separate from the personal. Also, its something that cannot really be proven.

Finally, you have the last definition above. "Of wide range or scope. Wide-reaching, far-reaching..." This can be taken into 2 contexts. One, in my family's case, can be of land. The other is society reaching and acknowledgement.  Both meanings of these I can find within my family.

My Maternal Great Grandparents
Jules Gauquie owned land in the tiny town of Blooming Grove, located south of Washingtonville, New York. Jules, and his wife Annie, first bought their first land in 1900. The deed is below.

Credit 

Credit

It wasn't a small parcel of land due to him operating a diary farm. The US Census put it as a dairy farm and then there are the many newspaper articles about it being a dairy farm.

I asked about the land from my mother's cousin. "Oh yeah they owned land. In fact, Jules owned, at one point most of Blooming Grove!" At this, I was shocked because I never heard of any of this growing up. He owned land which is noted in land documents in the 1920, 1921, 1924-1934, 1935-1946 which can be found on FamilySearch.

Credit Warwick Valley Dispatch, Page 7,  October 23 1935 regarding land Jules owned.

Then I started to look and found not only did he own the diary farm, but when Annie died, she owned more than a little bit of stock and more than a little bit of land too! Especially for 1931.

Credit

In fact, some of this land is still in the family today and cousins still own and live in it as its been passed down to generations. On the other hand, the main farm, where my grandfather was raise, is no longer in the family, but there is a business that is there and we can go and visit.

The farm the Gauquie's used to live at in New York. Credit Brett Fitzgerald Taken January 2019.

Many people do not have this type of legacy to go back to and in that way I do feel fortunate.

However, the other part of this same definition, which is the society reaching and acknowledgement can be distorted. In fact, in this area it IS distorted.

Why do I say this?
Jules was always having card games and doing things for the church, which in itself wasn't bad. In fact, these are positives. However, what he didn't want you to see was him throwing one of his sons out by the age of 15 years old. Yep, 15. The family story is they had a huge fight and he left. His brother William followed him out in support.

1924 Newburgh Directory showing Louis out of the house at age 15. Credit

On the other hand, Jules didn't mention this to anyone but was going on like nothing was the matter.

Meanwhile, Louis' father, Jules, gets lights installed in his house (purple above). Credit

As you can see, Jules has his son move out, but he's still doing things for himself (with getting the first electric lights installed) and within the community instead of helping his son along. According to news reports he had been overseas, to Belgium, and had started taking time away from farming. I can see where, if his sons weren't doing things how Jules would, there would be tension and fights. Too bad instead of putting some effort into his family, he was doing things for others.

Then you have the various land Jules bought. From speaking to other cousins, its known at one point Jules had owned most of the Blooming Grove area.You can see by his probated will(below) he was a very wealthy man for the 1940s.

This being said, its also known within the family, he wasn't a very good man. He had his wife working on the dairy farm and once it was written in the paper about her being injured by a cow.

Credit

Further, it was known within the family wouldn't buy his wife a winter coat as, to him, she didn't need one. As Jules controlled the money within the family, she couldn't spend money to buy one either. Finally, her daughters convinced her to take the one they bought her with their money. However, it was too late as she came down sick and ended up on the hospital. The result was her dying. Then he didn't even put an obituary or anything in the newspaper for her. I have found her on the NY Death Index which is backed up on the headstone and by her will (as I've copied bits above earlier).  Her will even had to be probated.

Credit

Then he tops it off by sending their daughter, Mary, away to an asylum. Within a 2 years, she's dead as well. I have heard from people in the family, the place they had sent her was the cheapest and not the best run in Sonyea, NY. It also goes by Groveland, NY which the land was donated to NYS for the handicapped. Mary had Polio as a child and was mentally handicapped because of it.

As you can see, Jules didn't want to let anyone know of this because of it frowned upon, and decided to bring Mary home to bury her near her mother.

Then there was Jules' last act. He wanted to be remembered as someone who gave his family everything as you can see by his probated will below. However, this is what he dictated was to be said in the newspaper. What actually happened was his second wife, Belle, received almost everything. This comes from the executor's family itself. Jules wanted to be seen as a great man, but in reality wasn't so great and not many people liked him from what I've been told.

The highlighted section is my great grandfather. Credit

As you can see, you can be, in public, a great person but a real piece of cow dung in private.

My Paternal Great Grandparents

On my father's side, we had a man who tried to do well for his family by owning a business, but then lost it all in the Great Depression. List what Dad said and what grandma found.

However, he worked his way back up and was in good standing with helping others. When he passed, even though his death was in the newspaper.

Credit Adam (in yellow) is mentioned in Deaths section

The business directory did something it never does - It listed him as passing away in the business section.

Credit Adam is highlighted above. Notice how different his entry is to everyone else's.

This was very rare, but needed because people came from all over to buy his foods he made (pickles and kielbasa) and sold.

Conclusion
You can find many things out there in various areas and forms this includes large. However, what you draw from it, has to be looked at in various eyes and background. Whatever you read, can be distorted or be what others want you to hear or read. You always have to take what you read, no matter in what year, as something to be proven.

Some may say Jules had large or far reaching due to his place with land and what he had built within the community. However, being a good person, like Adam, and having things done for you because of this is something else. To be liked as a person, for myself, rather than what I can do for a community ranks higher in self worth than money. To my way of thinking Jules was the overall loser because if you don't have this, then you don't have anything.

Yes, you have to make sure what you hear or read can be distorted by what is politically acceptable - or not. Its up to you want you can and will believe. Sort of like the video of my mother (below).

Copyright of video Jo Ann Fitzgerald of mother stating her view of something. 

My mother was always a kind person until she had enough of people and then started to change. People influence others in how they act. However, if you do change in how you act to others, as a whole, then its on you. However, if you change to the one person, then its on that person even if you do try and see things from their point of view and don't get it. At least you can say you've tried to see it from all angles, but if you haven't tried this, then its on you as a person because everyone deserves to try and be looked at from all sides not just yours.